


Tread Lightly

by Phisobi



Series: Prompt Oneshots [8]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Dogs, F/M, First Meetings, G/T, GT, Giant/Tiny, I Wrote This On My Phone, Lamia, Naga, Original Character(s), Prompt Fic, Size Difference, Snakes, Trapped, Tumblr Prompt, again im too lazy for last names lmao, farm life, i didnt know which term to use oops, i went with naga even tho its probably wrong. anyway uh, not a kink tag, welcome to another gt oneshot featuring details of my actual life lmfao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:41:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27116263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phisobi/pseuds/Phisobi
Summary: A g/t oneshot fic based off of a couple asks sent in and some doodles i did, which can be found here: https://bottlesandbuttons.tumblr.com/post/632472874288021504/hereBased on the prompts: "Human buys mini mythical creature" and "I don't want to hurt you." except its finds, not buys. (sorry!)
Relationships: No Romantic Relationship(s)
Series: Prompt Oneshots [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1868347
Comments: 8
Kudos: 29





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> the title is a meme reference and is subject to change lmfao i literally could not think of a good one. also i think snakes are super cool but my knowledge on them is b a d so im super sorry for any inaccuracies. i tried to do a good google though :>

The night was never still. 

But the small quaint farmers town, aptly named Chetwind after it's founder, was a calming friendly place in the day; the markets ran every second day, and everybody knew each other by name. It was a tight knit community, and one that Nico was happy to now be a part of.

He'd bought a small farm away from all the bustling noise of the city, with plenty of fenced off areas for his two horses and a big field for his dogs to play in. It was an old house, worn on the inside and out from weathering and use, but it had a comfortable charm to it. To others it may look dirty, unkept, broken down. But to him it looked like home.

Nico had lived in a farmhouse similar to it, on his grandparents' ranch. He'd moved away at around ten years old, though he always dreamed of returning to the country life. He finally had enough money to do it now, but it wasn't the same as where he'd grown up. This house was different, the garden was _much_ smaller, and the sun set quicker in the valley. 

He knew that it wouldn't ever be the same, but it was close enough for him. This place wasn't in the best condition, and the barn could use another support beam, but he was determined to turn this place around. 

However that would involve a lot of work, and he was only one person. With a heavy sigh he rolled up his sleeves and pulled out his phone to call his best friend, aka the only person he knew within a hundred kilometer radius.

Half an hour later, Rhett was pulling into his driveway. His dogs ran up to the vehicle barking and following it along the way, but they were smart enough to not get run over. Nico had just been on his way outside to grab another box, already having lost count of how many trips he'd made inside and out.

Moving sucked.

"Hey!" He called out to his buddy, waving an arm and wiping sweat from his brow with the other.

"I see you weren't kidding when you said it was a fixer-upper." Rhett laughed as he got out of his truck. 

His young daughter had soon followed suit, curious to see her father's friend's new place. The two had allowed her to come with, as there was nothing more dangerous than his two little white dogs in the fields and they were going to be there for at least a few hours.

"Yeah," Nico sighed, "but it was cheap, and reminds me of home." 

"You're also past the city border," Rhett informed, tone a little more serious. "Are you sure you're prepared to handle what comes out of these woods at night?"

Nico nodded. Along with the normal dangerous wildlife, there were also many more creatures of magical origin here. Mythicals existed everywhere, but for some unknown reason this town was seen as a hotspot. Usually that attracted people from far and wide, but nobody seemed to linger long with the strange energy that came with each long, haunting night, and the drive here takes forever. The locals had all grown accustomed to it, simply accepting that there was nothing they could do about it.

"I have a guy coming tomorrow to put a ward on the place," He continued, "So nothing can get on the property."

"Good, good." His friend nodded back. "But things on the inside can't get out either. Did you check and make sure nothings still living here yet?" 

"The previous owner said he did a thorough sweep for mythicals, and found nothing." Nico shrugged.

Suddenly a stray drop landed on the floor of the kitchen beside the two friends. Both of them looked up.

"Doesn't look like he checked for rain leaks, though." Nico said, heaving out a sigh as he went to grab a bucket. Just his luck, it had started to rain lightly. At least most of his things were inside now, and the impending water only made the two of them work faster. 

Before it could pour down entirely, the two had managed to finish moving all of Nico's belongings into the house. Despite it all being in boxes, and him not having a lot of stuff to begin with, it had been a lot of work and they both found themselves exhausted. Nico thanked Rhett profusely for his help, promising to return the favour at some point when everything had been set up.

The two of them parted ways for the night, with Nico standing in the doorframe watching as his friend's white truck rolled away into the darkening night. But the rain leaked a brisk cold into his bones and he shuffled back inside, putting the kettle on for some tea before bed. 

That night he slept on his mattress on the floor, his two fluffy dogs curled around his legs. It was going to be a lot of work living here, and maybe a little lonely, but he knew that it would be worth it.

  
  


~~~~~~~

Cindy groaned as a huge rain drop landed on her head, sending shivers down her bare spine. It was unexpected and cold, and she glared up at the sky as if cursing the clouds themselves. The cold and wet was _not_ something she was excited to deal with, but with every inch she traveled she grew closer and closer to her den.

To home.

The thoughts of her friends and family pushed her on. She hadn't seen them in almost a year, and it was time for her to check in. She'd stay for about a week or two before venturing off again, helping with the young and letting them know she hadn't died. This was a common occurrence for her and a lot of other members of her family-- she just hated the trip home.

Another raindrop hit her on the arm and she immediately tucked it against herself for warmth, whisking away the water. She had to find somewhere dry to wait out this rain, and then she'd find something to eat and continue her journey.

But everywhere she looked was just underbrush and tall, looming trees. She peered around a bit harder, changing her course slightly to head to a thinning in the foliage. The trees had parted to a great big field, stopping in a weirdly straight line. Cindy ventured closer and realized that it was because there was a _fence_ there, which meant humans. 

She hadn't had any encounters with them before, but she knew their language. And while she also knew that they shared physical features, humans were a very angry species, and were known to do cruelties like no other to both each other and their environments. She'd heard stories of their likes, and wasn't particularly fond of them.

But just beyond this field was a large wooden structure, more than big enough for her to hide in and take shelter for the night. She sighed to herself as she snuck under the fenceline, figuring that it would be a better option in the building than hiding in a tree or underground. Plus there were no lights on there, and she knew humans couldn't see in the dark. Her hopes of it maybe even being heated drove her onwards.

It wasn't heated, to her dismay, but it was still better than she'd been imagining. There were large strange things everywhere that she didn't understand, but she managed to climb over a small stone ledge and into a wooden room, covered with grass. She slithered across it, coiling into a tight ball in the far corner.

The walls and roof provided her with a much needed shelter as the rain worsened, and thunder began to roll in from down the valley. She curled in on herself a little tighter, promising herself that she'd find food soon, and that it was just one more night until she'd get to see everyone in her den again.

She had slept soundly through the night, but had been abruptly woken up sometime the next day by a distant crunching sound getting closer. Her head whipped up towards the wall, where the sound was coming from behind. There was also a low rumble, the sound only a _very_ large beast could make, and she paled at the thoughts of what was on the other side.

All of the sudden all of the noise had stopped, and there was a loud slam before more crunching could be heard. But the naga knew these ones to be footsteps. _Had a human been making all that noise?_

As if to confirm her thoughts, two voices rang out and sparked up a conversation with each other, the noises getting distant once again. Cindy couldn't hear what they'd been talking about, her mind going into panic mode. _What if they come in here?_

Her first instinct was to hide, but she didn't really want to be near them if they _did_ come closer. So her second instinct was to climb, to get higher up than they could reach. Slowly she uncoiled herself, scanning for for most direct way to the support beams lining the top of the tall structure. She'd been in many human buildings before, but none that weren't abandoned. 

Before too long she'd found a comfortable place on the top loft, right beside a hole in the wall in case she needed to escape. It also gave her a vantage point to watch the two humans, who had now re-emerged from out of the building and were talking once more. It looked like the two of them were heading straight for the building she was in, causing Cindy's heart rate to spike a little, but it calmed as she watched them pass below her, completely oblivious to her existence. 

"So you want the ward to the back of the property?" She'd heard one of them ask.

"Yes please, just following the fence line if that's possible." The other responded, seeming much less authorative.

"Of course that's possible, it'll just take me a few minutes."

Cindy watched as they disappeared out of her vision, almost tempted to go follow them and see what they were up to. But that would be ridiculous, she had places to be! The redhead took a minute to steel her nerves before climbing back down, intending on continuing her travels.

But as she reached the ground once more she felt something strange, something that made her pause. It was like a wave of energy; a tingle through her from one end to the other. 

She was confused for a minute before the words of the humans had finally sunk in. Again, tales from her people arose in her mind, ones she hasn't heard since she was a child.

_Ward._

_She was sealed in._

No, no, no! she wasn't meaning to _stay_ here, simply take refuge! 

She panicked and booked it for the treeline, but as she slipped under the fence wire and was approaching the tall grass she smacked into a shimmering wall, falling backwards to the ground. She sat for a moment, staring as it rippled away back into a clear image of the escape she _could not have_.

She wanted to cry, but her temper got the better of her. she hissed in frustration, cursing those humans out for locking her in here, when she was _so close to home._

With a grumble, she made her way back to the barn to devise a plan.


	2. Chapter 2

Over the next two days, Cindy studied the one human closely. He seemed to live alone on this farm, with his animals. But farms meant mice, so at least she wasn't _completely_ out of food. Being stuck here was definitely pissing her off, but after a day of close examination she realized that this human wasn't really a threat to her.

Besides the wall keeping her stuck here, he hadn't set any other traps or defense mechanisms, and he seemed genuinely… docile. Occasionally Cindy would hear him singing to himself, or talking softly to the inanimate objects around him.

Even his two dogs were small and only ever ran around playing with each other, barking at the things they didn't understand. They weren't hunting dogs and barely got their feet wet in the mud when it rained.

Still they were quite big to her, and very intimidating when they were _barreling towards her at full speed._

She'd tried to sneak to the garden, her hunger getting the better of her. There'd been nothing in sight to eat, and she just couldn't sit there _watching_ any longer with her stomach eating away at itself.

She glanced over to the garden, eyeing the vegetables that she _can_ sustain herself on, but not for long. She _needed_ meat.

Still, with no hunt in sight all day, a carrot had sounded _really good._ It was dangerous to venture out without fully knowing the human's schedule, but she was desperate. If she could just eat that for now, then she'd have enough energy to hunt something later.

But the universe seemed to keep denying her as one of the two white dogs came racing in front of her, the other not far behind.

Cindy halted in her path, icy fear coursing through her veins. While she knew the chances of it were unlikely, she couldn't help the fears that she was about to be eaten. She could lash out and bite one, but the other would likely retaliate.

Suddenly the loudest noise she'd heard in a while echoed through her skull as the two beasts began barking at her, jumping up and down less than a foot away. Cindy's hands shot to her ears, covering them from the sound. With every tremble of the ground from the dogs' incessant stomping her panic only worsened, and all she could do was curl into a defensive ball, hands still clamped to her head.

Amidst all the commotion, she hadn't noticed that the excited puppy footsteps had been replaced by much, much heavier ones. 

"Now, what do you two have?" An exasperated voice called out, making Cindy's eyes widen in fear. It was _very_ close. 

She peered up through her tail as the human drew closer, unable to move as she watched everything unfold.

For her everything was moving in slow motion.

But for Nico, everything was happening _very fast_.

He'd dropped everything he'd been doing at the sound of the dogs finding something, knowing that they'd only keep barking until he came to check it out.

But as he drew closer and called them over the dogs wouldn't listen to him, only jumping and barking as he tried to draw them away from the poor curled up snake they were tormenting. It didn't look like they had laid a scratch on it, but the barking alone was probably maddening to it and he didn't want them to get bit.

He scrambled to pick both dogs up, fighting to hold one in each arm. They wanted to break free, their curious nature getting the better of them, but Nico kept a firm grip. Without a word he turned on his heels to put them inside, knowing they wouldn't just leave on their own while he tried to assess the situation. 

But when he'd returned to the spot where he was but a minute ago, there was nothing there. A hand raised to hang on the back of his neck as he looked around, wondering where it could have gone. He'd only stepped out for a second, _and it was so small._ It couldn't have gone far.

After a few minutes of studying the surroundings he was about to call it quits when he noticed movement in the garden. There was no breeze out today, and the cabbage leaves didn't rustle like that unless something was going through it. Whether it was the snake or not he really didn't want any animals going through the veggies, and figured he'd go investigate.

~~~~~~~

Cindy almost couldn't believe when the human had just _left her alone_. She slowly unfurled herself, taking in her surroundings once more. She was still untouched, by neither gnashing dog teeth nor crushing human hands, and it took a second for her to realize that this was the _perfect_ opportunity to escape. Living here would be too dangerous, she had to get away--

But she couldn't cross that barrier even if she tried. And the garden was _right there_. If she could just find something to tie her over, she'd be good until tomorrow at least, or until something crossed her path. She took one last look at the house the human had vanished into, before disappearing under the huge vegetable leaves in her search of food.

Before long she heard the house door reopen and the human come outside once more, but he was growing father from her with every step.

Cindy took her chance and yanked on the green top, but whined as she found herself unable to even pull a small carrot out of the ground. She's lost all her strength in between starving and being chased- her breathing was still ragged from the whole fiasco with the dogs, but her lungs had seized all together after she felt those thunderous footsteps reapproach and saw the shadow loom over her once more.

She groaned in complete frustration, fists clenching. She'd been _so close_ to her food, and this huge oaf had to get in her way. With each step he took her anger only seemed to rise.

"Just stay back!" She growled, her voice surprising even herself. "J-just leave me alone! Why can't anything ever just go _right?!_ "

She froze, realizing her situation. She was no stranger to snapping at others when her temper got the best of her, but this was a _human._ And she had just yelled at him. She was so, so screwed.

But, to her surprise, the human actually listened to her command. Nico stopped dead in his tracks at her outburst, not moving a muscle.

"..Hi there," he started out softly, almost unable to believe what he was seeing. Nagas were known about, but they were rare and almost _never_ interacted with people. 

"Sorry to bother you," The brunet continued, "The dogs didn't hurt you, did they?" He asked, voice filled with concern.

Cindy paused, taken aback by his words. He didn't seem nearly as angry as she thought he'd be. He was speaking just as soft and gentle to her as he had been earlier, when he was talking to himself. Maybe that was just how he was? Or maybe it was just an act.

She took on a defensive stance as she shrunk back under the leaves, leaving his line of sight.

"No." She barely squeaked out, not wanting to leave him unanswered. 

"Good," he breathed, visibly relieved. "But I _do_ have to let them out again.." he trailed off a little worriedly. "I don't have much unpacked in the house yet, and they're going to get into stuff they shouldn't if they're left unsupervised." 

Cindy said nothing, promoting Nico to fill the silence.

"I don't have a problem with you staying here, but the garden probably isn't the safest place to be, and I'd rather not have them trample the crops trying to play with you again."

The naga could only agree, not wanting to deal with another hellish chase scene again. She longed to just go back home, but she knew that the barrier would stop her. How she had managed to get _into_ here in the first place without running into it was beyond her.

"Then r-release your ward, and I'll leave." She demanded again, although she couldn't hide the nervousness from her tone. What if he said no?

"I…… can't." Nico replied sadly, looking down at the garden leaves with a doleful expression. While it wasn't the whole truth, as he _could_ technically call back and ask to have it removed, he didn't have the kind of money to replace it so soon again. Not to mention, he didn't feel like getting chewed out by the mage who had casted it for not being 100% ready for it to be set in the first place.

"You have to!" Cindy argued back, her voice rising with her temper. How _dare_ they trap her here! 

"There's nothing to hunt here, I'll starve!" She continued, mostly ranting to herself. Barn mice would only keep her fed for so long, and behaved much differently than the ones in the wild. If they knew these were her hunting grounds, they'd probably stop showing up all together. 

"I…" Nico started, but faltered. What could he even say to someone that he'd accidentally trapped? 

He decided to go with an apology. "I'm sorry, really. I didn't know there was anyone here-- they told me the lot was empty. But having you starve isn't an option, I wouldn't allow that." He concluded with a small shake of his head. 

"What do you eat?" He asked after a moment. "I'd be happy to get something for you." 

Cindy paused, thinking things over. Was this human really offering to _help_ her? She hadn't heard any stories of them doing that before, and was extremely skeptical about the situation. He had to have _some_ sort of ulterior motive. 

Still, his words were tempting. She was admittedly _very_ hungry, and would not turn down a meal being offered to her.

"...I eat meat, mostly." She answered hesitantly, daring to move forward but an inch so that she could see this human better. He still hadn't moved from where she'd told him to stop. 

"I've got some of that," Nico nodded, unsurprised at her answer. "I can bring you some, if you'd like. Although we'll have to find a better place to meet than the garden." He chuckled. 

Everything about this human seemed to challenge everything she knew about them, and that intrigued her. She nodded up at the human, before looking over at the large shelter she'd slept in last night.

"In there..?" She asked, pointing a scaled finger towards the building.

"The barn?" Nico asked, turning to look where she was pointing. Is that where she'd been hiding when the previous owner searched the property? There were _so_ many places for something her size to hide in there, no wonder he hadn't seen her and thought the place to be empty.

Cindy could only assume that they were on the same page, nodding in confirmation.

"Alright," Nico smiled, taking a small step back towards the house. "Meet you there?" 

Cindy said nothing as she slipped back into the leaves of the garden, making her way to the edge of the rows and back into the uncut grass. She really hoped that the human would genuinely bring her food, and not try to trick her. It was stupid really, to accept his help and trust that he wasn't going to go back on his word. She tensed up as she reentered the wooden barn, knowing that it was only a matter of time before the human got there as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is all i could crank out in one night but fear not! this isnt over!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "but sir why is this chapter so long?"
> 
> i couldn't tell ya, kid.

Nico rushed inside, heart pounding against his ribcage. She'd actually spoken to him, and she actually seemed to trust him a little! Well, maybe her decisions were based entirely on survival, but still. He wouldn't disappoint.

He tore open his fridge, reaching for the only snacks he had in there. It was a sad sight, opening the door to only a package of pepperoni sticks, a bottle of sprite, and some cheese, but he cut himself some slack considering it was only his third day of being there.

He briefly wondered if snakes could even eat cheese or if she had more of a human digestive system that would allow it, but figured he'd just let her have the choice to eat it or not. After cutting some small pieces of the cheese and meat up for her he placed everything on a small piece of plastic wrap in case she wanted to save any for later. He also grabbed the softest towel he could find, in hopes that it could serve as some sort of blanket. She was probably used to it, but it still didn't seem very comfortable in there.

A few minutes later, he was at the entrance to the barn.

He walked in, before slowing to a halt as he looked around. It was huge, and he didn't even know how to get the small girls attention-- he hadn't even gotten her name! He felt rather silly standing there for a few seconds, before he finally spoke up.

"Um.. hello?" he called out awkwardly. Maybe she had tricked him, and decided to go somewhere else entirely.

"I'm not sure if you're in here, but I've brought you some things.." He continued, his lonely voice echoing back to him. 

"I can just leave them here, if you'd like?" Nico asked, but was greeted by silence. He was about to do just that, until he'd heard a faint shuffling noise in one of the empty stalls to his right. Slowly he made his way over there, supplies in hand, a little surprised to actually find the naga there waiting for him.

Only, she seemed even _more_ apprehensive than before, and had no clear place to run with him blocking the entrance.

Nico took a cautious step forward, but retracted it immediately after noticing her body language change. She was in a tight coil and observing him closely, obviously terrified. 

Figuring that his towering height probably didn't help, the farmer lowered onto his knees. 

"Hey," he greeted softly, watching as the naga made no move to greet him back. Her wary, stone cold gaze pierced right through him.

"It's okay, I-- I don't want to hurt you. My name's Nico." He reassured with a smile, hoping that at least having his name wouldn't make him a complete stranger.

"You seem afraid, so I'll leave you alone if you'd like, but can I first bring these a little closer?" he asked, gesturing to the towel and food he had in his hand.

Cindy eyed the belongings warily.

"It's just some food," Nico explained, hoping that she wouldn't be too skeptical to take it. "And a blanket; er, well, the closest thing I had to one that would be your size." He chuckled nervously. "I can't imagine the barn is too warm at night, and it's probably better than the floor."

Ever so slightly, a miniscule amount of tension left the naga's body. He was… genuinely being nice to her. She didn't know how to react, not having received such kindness from strangers in years, and still then it was never from a _human._ She uncurled not even half an inch, lifting her head a little to speak.

"...You may." She allowed his approach with a tentative nod.

Nico kept his movements slow and controlled, rising back up to his feet to move a little closer. The progress he'd made with her seemed to vanish as she flinched back when his hand drew near to give her the supplies, so he quickly brought it back to his body. He didn't like being the source of her fear-- He'd never hurt a fly! But she didn't know that, so he had to tread more carefully with his actions.

Instead of placing it beside her he opted for placing it about a foot away, before retracting his previous steps to ease her anxiety. It seemed to work much better this time, and he even lowered himself once more for good measure. 

"There's some pepperoni in there," he informed as she curiously inspected the pile of food. "I don't know if you'll like it because it's cooked, but it's meat. And I was meaning to ask- can you eat cheese? That's what the orange stuff is, but if not I can try and find you something else..?" Nico offered.

Cindy stared down at the weird cubes of food before her. She could definitely identify the bigger pieces as meat, but she'd never had the other thing before. _Cheese_. It looked strange.

The human's behavior was strange as well, things going nowhere near how she thought they would. He seemed extremely cautious around her, almost as if _he_ was the one who was afraid. She couldn't see why- he easily overpowered her!

But she thought back once again to the tales she'd been told, about her kind being praised by certain humans. They would give them riches, complementing their beauty and wits, and worship their command. But that age had _long_ since come and gone. Surely there were no humans left who still thought like that? 

But as she looked over at the other, from his fidgety hands and his friendly stature to his soft gaze, she found that she didn't feel threatened. It was still scary to be in his presence, but.. she didn't feel like he was going to do anything bad. Very slowly, she relaxed a little more. 

"We can eat anything humans can eat," She explained, finding her voice once more. "But we need meat to sustain us." Did he really know so little about her kind?

Nico's eyes glistened with curiosity, proving her doubtful thoughts right. If she could eat regular food, then helping her survive would be much easier than providing something live. Idly he wondered how long she'd been here for and if she'd ever had any human food before, or if this was the first time.

He was a thousand tracks of thought deep when he came back to his senses, realizing he'd been staring for quite some time. His eyes widened and he averted his gaze, not missing the strange look the girl was giving him back.

"Sorry!" He quickly apologized, a little embarrassed. "I didn't mean to stare, it's just.. I've never seen one of you in person before. You're remarkable. Can I know your name?" 

Cindy almost laughed- he was so awkward, but trying to be so formal. Maybe he _did_ share qualities with the same humans that worshipped them. Or maybe he was just nice. Either way, it was extremely refreshing compared to how everything else in the wild reacts; always on guard, never causelessly selfless. It eased her tension a little more.

"My name is Cindy." She answered him, sounding almost like her normal self. "And I've never seen a human before either.." She admitted, taking the chance during the broken eye contact to do some staring of her own. His eyes were round and not slitted, his ears round instead of pointed. It was strange- he didn't even have fangs or claws! How did humans defend themselves?

Nico's brows furrowed together. If she had never seen one of him before, then that means she _hadn't_ lived here before the ward was placed. He doubted that she was good enough of a hider to avoid _everyone_ in the last family that lived here, and she'd said herself that there wasn't enough to hunt here. 

His heart twinged at the tragic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time; she'd been trapped here, and Nico knew the rules that came along with the ward. She was stuck here.

And if that was the case, then he was going to be the best damn roommate she'd ever had. Or, well, farmmate.

He turned back to her with a smile, and Cindy stopped staring so intensely. 

"Well it's nice to meet you!" He beamed. "If I can ask, what.. kind of snake are you?" He winced at his phrasing, not sure how to word it. "Your tail is just.. beautiful." 

A small blush crept across Cindy's cheeks, and her eyes widened in surprise. No one had ever called her tail _beautiful_ before, except for her mama. And she thought she'd been biased since they were family. She always thought her tail to be plain, much like the rest of her. The patterns weren't even, her scales were dirty- it was nowhere near as beautiful as some of the other's she's seen. And for this human to say it so nonchalantly! 

The sudden embarrassment and emotions swelled up inside of her, and she didn't know what to do. Somehow, her mouth always seemed to have a mind of its own.

"Northern Copperhead," She informed, speaking a little quickly. "And what's your angle? I've never heard of a human just giving without taking. What is it you want from me? I have nothing to give." 

While she didn't feel in danger, she still didn't really trust the human before her. Her terror may have lessened, but she was still definitely panicking on the inside. He knew she was stuck here just as much as she did.

Nico blanked. "I.. I don't expect anything from you." He said softly. "I'm the one who accidentally trapped you here, the least I can do is give you food and shelter. I really don't mind." 

Cindy was silent, a lot on her mind.

It was Nico's turn to verbal dump.

"I live alone here, -well, except for the dogs, so you don't have to worry about anyone seeing you. I'll also be getting better food than _that_ soon," He gestured to the small pile of cheese and pepperoni. "And I'm more than happy to share. Actually, if you need anything else just let me know, and I'll try my best." 

He shot her the most contagious of smiles, making a small one crack across Cindy's own face as well. 

"..Thank you." She spoke up, surprising herself. She didn't think she'd ever say _that_ to a human before. Yet, he deserved it. 

"Will it be a problem if I stay in here?" She asked curiously, gesturing around her to the large empty stall. She didn't want to be in his way, but if she stayed in one spot she could start gathering things again. Plus, she wanted to explore the barn a little more now that she had the time.

She left out the 'for now' part of her sentence, still stumped on ideas of how to get out of the ward's grasp and slip between the barrier. But she'd think of something, eventually. In the meantime, staying here didn't seem all that bad. The only human who lived here already knew about her, so all she had to do was avoid the dogs.

"Oh it's not a problem at all," Nico reassured, shaking his head. Only a problem if you don't like it, or unless you'll get too cold." 

Cindy shook her head back in response. She _did_ like it out here-- she liked the creak of the old wood, the shiny things hidden in the dirt, the walls protecting her from the outside. They didn't stop the cold however, that much Nico had been right about. 

But she'd think of something to get her home before the coldest of nights fell, she had to. It wouldn't take too long to devise a plan.

...Right?


End file.
